Every day, millions of people around the world peel their fruits and vegetables before eating them. This gesture, made automatically, is inherited from family habits or supported by the idea that this is a more “healthy” way of eating.
However, this apparently innocent act is more controversial than it seems. Indeed, if this gesture may seem more hygienic, it turns out that the skin of fruits and vegetables is full of nutrients, which calls into question the benefits of peeling these foods. However and this is where the dilemma resides, the skin of the fruits and vegetables can also contain pesticide residues.
The question asked is therefore the following: what should we pay the most attention, to the nutrients that we lose by peeling the fruits and vegetables, or to the pesticides that we avoid ingesting? A study published in 2023 in the journal Current Research in Food Science looks at this dilemma and concludes that the answer, as for many other questions related to food, is far from simple.
What we lose by peeling a fruit
The apple skin contains about twice as much fiber as flesh and a high concentration of phenolic compounds that act like natural antioxidants. Their presence contributes to maintaining the balance at the cellular level and preventing or delaying cellular damage caused by free radicals, as well as exposure to pollution, tobacco smoke or ultraviolet (UV) rays that cause oxidative stress. All these elements contribute to cell aging and can be linked to chronic pathologies such as cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and type 2 diabetes.
In addition, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties have also been identified in fruits such as pears, grapes and citrus. Whose bark is also a precious source of vitamin C and essential oils.
An important part of global food waste comes from fruit and vegetable peelings thrown unnecessarily.
The skin of certain vegetables also brings fibers, potassium and antioxidants such as polyphenols. This is the case of the skin of the potatoes, cucumbers and carrots. Another little -known example is the skin of the eggplant, which contains nasunine, a powerful antioxidant that protects cellular membranes from oxidative damage.
On the other side of the scale, pesticides
In view of the many precious properties associated with the skin, one might think that the balance leans in favor of the consumption of fruits and vegetables without peeling them. However, peeling also has its justifications. The most obvious, as mentioned above, is the presence of pesticide residues on the surface.
Although levels are regulated by organizations such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), some studies have found residues from these substances even after washing. This is why many consumers opt for peeling as a precaution.
The good news is that there are effective means of reducing the charging in pesticides without eliminating the skin. Wash the fruits and vegetables with running water, rub them with a brush suitable for food or soak them briefly in a mixture of water and sodium or vinegar bicarbonate can eliminate up to 80-90% of residues.
Of course, the ideal is to consume fruits and vegetables produced in an ecological or locally, production methods in which pesticides are less or not at all used.
Sustainability: the invisible impact of peelings
Another relevant argument – and less known – is the environmental impact of the systematic peeling of fruits and vegetables. According to estimates made in 2019 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), each year, 14% of foods produced in the world are lost before reaching the consumer. An important part of this waste comes from the peelings thrown unnecessarily.
These skins, which could be used as food, end in discharges where they decompose and generate methane, a greenhouse gas much more powerful than carbon dioxide. According to several studies, it is estimated that if we reduce fruit and vegetable waste in households, global greenhouse gas emissions would decrease significantly.
In addition, research is already underway in certain countries on how to convert skins into useful products: flours enriched with bioplastics, including fertilizers and animal food.
So what to do?
Peel or not peel should not be an automatic decision, but an informed decision. If the fruit or vegetable is well washed and comes from a reliable source, it is preferable, from a nutritional and ecological point of view, to consume it with the skin. There are of course exceptions. Certain skins are too hard, bitter or contain unwanted compounds, such as solanine in the skin of green potatoes.
Solanine is a natural glycoalcaloid that potatoes produce to defend themselves against insects and diseases. It is mainly concentrated in the skin and green areas of the tuber, which appear when the potato is exposed to physically or damaged light.
Science invites us to consider peelings not as waste, but as another part of the food.
Although the chlorophyll which gives the green color is harmless, its presence indicates a potential increase in the solanine. The consumption of potatoes with high solanine content can cause symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache and, in the most serious cases, paralysis or hallucinations …
Recent studies indicate that solanine doses from 2 to 5 mg/kg of body weight can cause toxic symptoms and that doses greater than 6 mg/kg can be fatal.
Finally, this is an evaluation on a case -by -case basis, balancing advantages and risks. Science invites us to consider peelings not as waste, but as another part of the food: nutritive, versatile and, in many respects, underestimated.
